FOREIGN AND MISCELLANEOUS NOTICES. 



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Rough Plate Glass for the Roofing of 

 Hot-Houses. — For two years past, much excite- 

 ment has been produced in England, by a pro- 

 posal to roof plant-houses with a new kind of 

 rough plate glass, for which a patent has been 

 obtained there by Mr. Hartlt. This glass is 

 prepared by a rolling process, which destroys 

 transparencybut not translucency ; and the bene- 

 fit said to be derived from it, (and which expe- 

 riments made under the direction of the Horti- 

 cultural Society of London, appear to have 

 confirmed,) is the very important one, that 

 without obstructing the light, this becomes dis- 

 persed instead of concentrated, in passing 

 through it, and that no shading is required in 

 the hottest sunshine. Altogether, the subject 

 is so well deserving consideration, that we give 

 our readers the results of the experiments al- 

 luded to, as detailed in the Gardener's Chroni- 

 cle. 



' ' The garden committee directed the rough 

 rolled plate glass to be tried in the garden of 

 the Horticultural Society at Chiswick. For this 

 purpose a small pit, unventilated except by sli- 

 ding the sashes, and heated by hot water pipes, 

 was selected. In the last week of August this 

 pit was filled with soft wooded plants, which can 

 only be kept in health in the presence of a large 

 quantity of light, among which were the follow- 

 ing, viz.- The Begonias odorata, undulata. ar- 

 gyrostigma, and dichotoma; Torrenia asiatica, 

 Pentas carnea, Adamia sylvatica, Calostylis au- 

 rantiaca, and Achimenes picta. The four Be- 

 gonias, Calostylis, Adamia. and Pentas had been 

 cut close back, and were leafless; Torrenia was 

 a cutting just struck, and of Achimenes, the 

 dry tubers were employed. The experiment 

 was thus set in action, without any special care 

 having been taken to make it succeed ; on the 

 contrary, everything was against success. It is 

 needless to say, that the months of October, 

 November and December, 1848, were more than 

 usually gloomy, and that neither January or 

 February offered any advantage over those 

 months in ordinary years. In addition to this, 

 it was often necessary to leave the plants in the 

 dark all day long, in conseijuence of the sashes 

 being covered with frozen mats, which could 

 not be removed. Nevertheless, and notwith- 

 standing these impediments, the experiment was 



perfectly successful. On the plants being pro- 

 duced, at a subsequent meeting of the Horti- 

 cultural Society, by Mr. Gordon, to whom tlie 

 experiment was confided, they appeared in the 

 most beautiful health, with firm, short wood, 

 broad, thick, clean, bright-green leaves, and in 

 the case of the Gesnera and Pentas, fluwers per- 

 fect in color, size, and form. In short, it may 

 be said without the least exaggeration, that 

 more perfect examples of high cultivation were 

 never seen, and few so perfect. It was clear 

 that there had been no deficiency of any ele- 

 ment or condition which is required for the most 

 perfect health. This conclusive proof of the 

 excellence of rough plate glass, possesses the 

 highest agricultural interest. It shows that 

 gardeners are now secured effectually from the 

 scorching effects of the sun during summer, and 

 that all the costly, as well as inconvenient con- 

 trivances for shading, may be, in future, dis- 

 pensed with." 



So much for the London Horticultural Soci- 

 ety. Mr. James Roberts, one of the most suc- 

 cessful cultivators in England, who has the care 

 of the grounds of the Duke of Cleveland, at 

 Raby Castle, speaks of this glass as follows: 



" At the present time I have nearly 3000 feet 

 of it in use, and I am so far satisfied of its su- 

 periority, not only over sheet glass, but also 

 over all other kinds of glass, for horticultural 

 purposes, that for whatever is to re-glaze or 

 erect new here, I will adopt it without hesita- 

 tion. I use it for plant culture, melons, cu- 

 cumbers, propagating, &c. ,- and perhaps no one 

 regrets more than I do, tliat I cannot replace 

 the sheet in my vineries with it. It is a mistake 

 to suppose that it obstructs light; on the con- 

 trary, it collects and diffuses it better than the 

 clearest sheet or crown glass. Another advan- 

 tage which it possesses, is that there is no scorch- 

 ing and no shading. As to this kind of glass be- 

 coming dirty, that has not happened here. It 

 eflfects a saving of fuel, and is jjroof against the 

 severest storms." 



Plant-houses. — Large plants in pots, may 

 with great advantage, be sunk into the border; 

 overcrowding must also be avoided in every 

 other structure where plants are stored for the 

 winter. It is fiir better at this season to throw 

 away the worst of the stock, than run the risk 

 of injuring the best plants. Favorite sorts will 

 be better replaced by young plants in the spring. 



